Tybee Island approves dog beach pilot program

by Steven Glover

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (WTOC) - Dogs will be allowed on part of Tybee Island’s beach this winter after City Council approved an off-season pilot program Thursday night.

Council members voted 4-2 to move forward with the program after hearing mixed reactions from the public. The decision came around 10:50 p.m. during a meeting that began at 6:30 p.m.

The pilot will run from Nov. 15 through Feb. 28, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dogs will be allowed on the south beach from the pier to Chatham Street.

Owners will need a free permit, and dogs must be vaccinated and on an 8-foot leash. Owners must also pick up their dogs’ waste.

The agenda proposal included additional rules: one dog per handler, dogs kept under control, no aggressive or uncontrolled behavior, and no approaching wildlife or entering dunes or vegetated areas. It also called for dogs to enter through beach crossovers, handlers to carry waste bags and owners to self-certify their dogs’ rabies vaccination.

The agenda proposal says the program would be suspended in the affected area if beach renourishment begins there. The possibility that the work could interrupt the pilot is why the program is free, according to the discussion at the meeting.

The vote followed a discussion in which supporters called for access to the beach with their dogs, while others raised concerns about enforcement and potential impacts on birds, including endangered species.

Other concerns included the size of the beach, the unpredictability of dogs and whether owners would act responsibly.